One Year Later: Scott Weiland Remembered by Stone Temple Pilots

The death of Scott Weiland last year is still resonating with the surviving members of Stone Temple Pilots. With today marking the first anniversary of his passing, the band crafted a message of tribute to their former singer.

“Here we are. A year has passed since you’ve been gone,” the band wrote on its website, adding a picture of a young, smiling Weiland. “We often think of you and are reminded of you daily with many memories. Then there is the music the four of us carved out allowing us to listen and feel how brilliant you are. There was a time when we looked up to one another. Each of us wanting one another’s approval. The songs we wrote had to have complete impact on us in order for them to shine. When it did… it was unearthly. Perhaps you are in a place now to better describe it. We miss you Scott.”

On Dec. 3, 2015, Weiland died on his bus outside a hotel in Bloomington, Minn., while touring with his band, the Wildabouts. He was 48. A few weeks later, it was learned that the cause of death was a combination of cocaine, ethanol and MDA. Weiland had a longtime and much-publicized battle with substance abuse, which contributed to his ouster from both Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver.

A month before Weiland’s death, Stone Temple Pilots amicably parted ways with Weiland’s replacement, Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington, who joined the group in 2013 and with whom they released that year’s High Rise EP. This past February, they began a public search for a new frontman. They were very briefly rumored to be hiring Creed’s Scott Stapp, but that was quickly quashed by the band.